| Rupert Bear | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Rupert Bear |
|
First Appearance |
The Little Lost Bear (November 8, 1920) |
|
Original Publisher |
Daily Express Newspaper |
|
Created by |
Mary Tourtel |
Origin[]
Rupert is a bear who lives with his parents in a house in Nutwood, a fictional idyllic English village. He is drawn wearing a red sweater and bright yellow checked trousers, with matching yellow scarf. Originally depicted as a brown bear, his colour soon changed to white to save on printing costs, though he remained brown on the covers of the annuals.
Rupert enjoys a safe, cosy home life. He has doting parents who are supportive of him in everything that he does, no matter how daring or dangerous, and who only get mildly anxious when he comes back late from one of his expeditions. Rupert is the ideal son, obedient, considerate, and warm hearted with a natural curiosity and an anxiety to please everyone. But just like any other child of his age (7-8 years) he can be vulnerable, get upset and reduced to tears.
Most of the other characters in the series are also anthropomorphic animals (animals with humanoid forms). They are all scaled to be about the same size as Rupert, regardless of species. Rupert's animal friends are usually referred to as his "chums" or "pals." Aside from his best friend, Bill Badger, some of the most enduring pals include an elephant (Edward Trunk), a mouse (Willie), Pong-Ping the Pekingese, Algy Pug (who actually pre-dates Rupert), Podgy Pig, Bingo the Brainy Pup, Freddie and Ferdy Fox, and Ming the Dragon. The kindly Wise Old Goat also lives in Nutwood, and helps Rupert in some of his adventures. One of the most unusual and evocative characters is Raggety, a woodland troll-creature made from twigs, who is often very grumpy and annoying.
There are also a few human characters in the stories, such as the Professor (who lives in a castle with his servant), Tiger Lily (a Chinese girl), her father "the Conjuror", and several less frequently occurring characters such as Sailor Sam, Captain Binnacle and Rollo the Gypsy Boy. There is also a recurring Merboy.
The series often features fantastic and magical adventures in faraway lands. Each story begins in Nutwood, where Rupert usually sets out on a small errand for his mother or to visit a friend, and then develops into an adventure to an exotic place such as King Frost's Castle, the Kingdom of the Birds, underground, or to the bottom of the sea. Sometimes one of the Professor's inventions opens the door for one of Rupert's adventures. At the end of the story, Rupert returns to Nutwood, where all is safe and well, and where his parents seem perfectly sanguine about his adventures.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Rupert Bear from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Ruper Bear Comic Strip (1920-1929)
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Rupert and the Enchanted Princess (1928)
- Rupert and the Black Dwarf (1928)
- Rupert and his Pet Monkey (1928)
- Rupert and his Friend Margot (and Rupert, Margot and the Fairies) (1928)
- Rupert in the Mystery of Woody (1929)
- Further Adventures of Rupert and his Friend Margot (and Rupert and the Stolen Apples) (1929)
- Rupert and the Three Roberts (1929)
- Rupert, the Knight and the Lady (and Rupert and the Wise Goat's Birthday Cake) (1929)
- Rupert and the Circus Clown (1929)
- Rupert and the Magic Hat (1929)
Notes[]
- Rupert started out with brown fur, but was given white fur by the second artist, Alfred Bestall, in 1935. However, he continued to be brown on the covers of the annuals.
- Stewie Griffin's teddybear Rupert', from the show Family Guy is probably named after Rupert. The character Stewie is well-spoken, with an upper-class British accent and is most of the time in company with his bear Rupert.